Congress: Yeddyurappa offered 10 crore each to our 18 MLAs

New Delhi: Congress on Saturday alleged that BS Yeddyurappa is offering around Rs 200 crore to 18 of its MLAs to destabilise the state government. The party vehemently attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party over charges of horse trading in Karnataka.

Addressing a press conference, senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala also claimed that Yeddyurappa has offered Rs 50 crore to the speaker.

Surjewala said, “The BJP wants power at any cost and power at all cost.”

Congress leader KC Venugopal said, “The entire country was shocked by hearing the news from Karnataka yesterday. The Karnataka CM released audio clippings of deliberation of Yeddyurappa with one of the brothers of JD(S) MLA revealing the dirty politics of Modi ji and Amit Shah to destabilise the Karnataka government.”

On Friday, Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy released an audio clip in which Yeddyurappa is purportedly trying to lure a JD(S) MLA. Hours before presenting the state budget amid coalition discord and BJP’s alleged toppling game, Kumaraswamy released the audio clip at a press conference, targeting prime minister Narendra Modi in his attack.

Kumaraswamy alleged that destabilization efforts were being carried out with the “permission” of Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.

Yeddyurappa, who is at the vortex of the row over his alleged bid to poach the ruling coalition MLAs for the past few weeks, said that the clip was “fake” and a “concocted story.

The Congress also decided to  initiate action against four rebel MLAs of the party under the anti-defection law as they skipped a legislature party meeting.

CLP leader Siddaramaiah said he would write to assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar seeking action against the four defaulter MLAs under the anti-defection law.

The absence of several Congress MLAs had kept the ruling Congress-JDS coalition on the edge in the backdrop of BJP’s reported aggressive moves to poach on the rival legislators.

The BJP has been denying the reports and asked the coalition partners to keep their flock intact instead of attacking it.

Karnataka has been facing extreme political upheaval as both BJP and Congress are trying to shield their MLAs  from poaching bait.